Download This Issue - US Concealed Carry
Download This Issue - US Concealed Carry
Download This Issue - US Concealed Carry
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
it becomes a problem. A woman may<br />
be able to conceal the pistol in a purse<br />
specially designed for concealed carry.<br />
Otherwise, the options are the same as<br />
they would be for a person in a wheelchair:<br />
a concealed carry fanny pack, a<br />
belt holster positioned either on the hip<br />
or behind-the-back, or an ankle holster. 8<br />
A behind-the-back holster may not be a<br />
good idea because of the possibility of<br />
pressure sores if you have a spinal cord<br />
injury.<br />
The locations where a person can legally<br />
carry a concealed weapon vary<br />
state by state. State and federal office<br />
buildings typically ban carrying weapons<br />
on their property. Private businesses<br />
may also prohibit carrying concealed<br />
weapons. Disabled individuals who wish<br />
to carry concealed have a problem when<br />
hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices ban<br />
carrying concealed weapons. Disabled<br />
individuals spend more time than nondisabled<br />
people getting medical treatment.<br />
At any medical facility with a large<br />
parking lot, depending upon the level of<br />
security, a person may be at risk to be the<br />
victim of a crime. I am not advocating<br />
violating a medical facility’s rules about<br />
carrying a weapon. I do recommend that<br />
each person evaluate the safety risk of<br />
the situation and decide whether to carry<br />
a concealed weapon accordingly.<br />
As I stated in my book, “Spinal cord<br />
injury and being the victim of a crime<br />
have one thing in common. In both situations,<br />
most people think it will never<br />
happen to them. We’ve already been<br />
wrong once. Let’s not be wrong again.” 9<br />
In my opinion, it is better to be a live<br />
defendant than a dead victim. n<br />
The author would like to thank Doug<br />
Wood of the Criminal Investigation<br />
Division of the Arkansas Insurance<br />
Department for his help in researching<br />
this article.<br />
[ Carolyn Boyles is a freelance writer.<br />
She discusses self-defense in her book, A<br />
Complete Plain-English Guide to Living<br />
with a Spinal Cord Injury: Valuable<br />
Information From A Survivor. Boyles<br />
can be reached at cboyles@aol.com. Her<br />
websites are www.carolynboyles.com and<br />
www.livingwithspinalcordinjury.com. ]<br />
JULY 2008 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n <strong>US</strong>CONCEALEDCARRY.COM<br />
CONCEALED CARRY<br />
DISC<strong>US</strong>SION FORUMS AND MORE<br />
usconcealedcarry.com<br />
35